Adjustable felly guard



W. BRAUN ADJUSTABLE FELLY GUARD Sept. 1l, 1923.

Filed Nov. 26. 1920 Patented Sept. 11, 1923.

autresi stares 'retenir orties.

' WALTER BRAN, or COLUMBUS, OHIO, Assrenora To THEJENNrsoNewRIGHT corvi` Y PANY, or TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION or OHIO.

ADJUSTABLETELLY GUARD.

AApplication led November 261920. Serial No. 426,491.

T 0 wZZwiom t may Concern.'

Be it known that I, W'ALTERBRAUN, a citizen of the United States of America.,

residing `at Columbus, Franklin County,

Ohio, have invented new and useful Adjustis a specification. y

This invention relates to paving or llicoring of wood blocks and has to do `more particularly with featuresl of self-adjusting felly guards or curbing.

This invent-ion has utility when incorpo rated in curbing strips for bridge floors paved with wood blocks.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective View, with parts broken away, of an embodiment of the invention in a flooring for a bridge; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section of the flooring and the adjustable felly guard of this invention.

A bridge l is shown as having a paving foundation 2 upon which is disposed transversely extending series -of wood blocks 3 having their grain up, said blocks being in parallel rows and transversely extending at an angle. The joints of said rectangular wood blocks 3 are shown staggered as to each other in adjacent rows. Terminally of these rows of blocks 3 there is inserted yieldable take-up means l primarily directly adjacent the blocks as a yieldable substance. Terminally beyond the means a and across a plurality of rows of blocks 3 is disposed a strip or member 5 as a curbing or felly guard. This member 5 is shown as having vertically extending parallel slots 6 therein, which slots extend directly away from the roadway.

When assembling these felly guards or self-adjusting curb strips 5 in position, upon the installation of the bridge iooring,th ese felly guards have bolts 7 in the outer ends of the slots 6, or in the region away from the roadway. Preferably these bolts 7 have their heads 8 below the flooring base 2 and extend upward through the felly guard 5 so that a washer 9 may be placed thereon as a holding seat for nut l0.

This adjustable felly guard or strip 5 of curbing, preferably of wood in bridge construction, is accordingly frictionally yieldably held against the shifting o-f the blocks 3 longitudinally of their rows. However, should the blocks 3 shift by expansion or .able Felly Guards, of which the following from other causes and .seek more space,

Abuckling or bulging of the blocks orv other objectionable shifting of the flooring on the `foundation 2 may be minimized, if not absolutelyI avoided by the force of the blocks being spent in pushing the felly guard outward.l The adjustment of the nut l0' on the bolt 7 may regulate the friction or holding resistance of this felly guard 5- as to the pavement foundation 2. The tendency of .the blocks to shift is generally greater lon- `gltudinally of the rows.

As this force is exerted, it may act upon the supplementary expansion means #i to cause such cushion to be squeezed or compressed and it is then transmitted through or past said cushion to the felly guard 5 to shift such felly guard outward as the bolt 7 moves inward of the slot 6.

This automatic adjustment in felly guard structures is more especially desirable in bridge construction for there is thus auto'- matically cared for at the foundation of the bridge, the strain which may be exerted by use or weathering of the floor of the bridge, instead of transmitting such strain to the bridge structure itself. There is thus introduced no weakening of the bridge as a bridge and the flooring itself is further benefited, for it does not in itself have strains which may tend to deteriorate or render the bridge flooring objectionable.

The many problems confronting wood block fiooring have such diverse workings out in practice that applicant has been prompted to thoroughly try out the disclosure as herein and has found such to be effective in its response after the weathering conditions have developed. Even in plain rectangular wood blocks so objectionably laid that the rows of blocks are longer than the transverse length of the bridge, that is with the rows diagonally of the bridge. This take-up has occurred with the blocks laid dry, laid on tar paper, or even laid on tar. When the expansion occurred it was handled up to the limit of the felly guard slot as disclosed. When the limit of the felly guard adjustment has been reached, the terminal blocks may be cut down and the felly guard reset for again taking up any additional expansion at the felly guard. Inspection may thus avoid any trouble from even the most objectionable strains exerted by the flooringY What is claimed and its is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A way having flooring comprising series of wood blocks in transversely extending rows, marginal limiting Ymeans `for the rows including a `timber extending 'aero-ss the ends of a plurality of rows, V.a foundation, and bolts between the timber andthe foundation holding the timber against shifting away from the foundation while permitting block shifting theretowards Lto move the timber' for widening `the way by shifting the bolt held timber.

2. `The combinati-on with a 'iooring provided with a foundation, parallel rows of ,wood blocks on said foundation, the blocks of 'said' rows having vtheir `joints staggered as .to adjacent rows, shiftable means across the ends of a plurality of rows of blocks Yincluding a member to be thrust by :the

blocks, and bolts to hold the lmember against movement on the foundation, said .bolts having slotted connection to permit ithe member to slide as to the foundation.

3. Retaining means formarginally yieldable paving of wood block lflooring comprising a transversely slotted member, a foundat-ion, bolts extending through the slots of the member V'and anchoring the member to the foundation, grain-up wood -slots transversely thereof, and anchoring means to engage in the slots away 4from the roadway end of the slots whereby a mounting of the felly guard inrposition .as tothe ,roadway may coact `toallow the felly guard to be shifted as to the anchoring means.

In witness whereof I aiix my signature.

WALTER BRAUN. 

